VOLUME - 10, ISSUE - 01, JANUARY - 2021 • PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8160 • DOI : 10.36106/gjra Original Research Paper Botany ADDITION TO THE FLORA OF MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, S.D Arts, V.S Apte Commerce and Harshal V. Poojari* M.H. Mehta Science College, Palghar, University of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.*Corresponding Author Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, S.D Arts, V.S Apte Commerce and Jayananda Tosh M.H. Mehta Science College, Palghar, University of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC., and Spermacoce remota Lam. Tabl., are ABSTRACT three plant species reported for the rst time in Palghar taluka, Palghar district, Maharashtra state, India and is a new addition to the ora of Maharashtra state. KEYWORDS : Crotalaria goreensis, Mitracarpus hirtus, Spermacoce remota, Palghar taluka, Palghar district, Maharashtra state, New record, Paplionaceae, Rubiaceae. 1. INTRODUCTION 3. Results Biota is a collective composition of all the plant and animal Enumeration species residing in the particular region. It won't be wrong in Family: Paplionaceae Giseke. considering plants as the main component of forest, grassland, terrestrial ecosystem etc., due to their innate ability 1) Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., Fl. Seneg. Tent. 165. to synthesize food material through photosynthesis. Flora of a 1832; Bhatt in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., 96(1): 174. 1999; region deals with the study of oristic diversity which Crotalaria macrostipula Steud. Ex. A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: eventually helps in documenting abundance and rarity status 153. 1847; Crotalaria goreensis subsp. macrostipula (Steud. of plant species. Such data are indeed helpful in developing Ex. A. Rich) Bak. F. in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 42(286): 413. 1914. conservation strategies which makes it easier for the plants to (Figure 1 and 2) ourish again in their natural habitat. After the release of Flora of Maharashtra state by Botanical Survey of India, Monocotyledone edition (Sharma et al. 1996), Dicotyledone Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Singh et al., 2000, 2001) and other researchers like Dr. M. R. Almeida (Almeida, 1996, 1998, 2001a, 2001b, 2003a, 2003b and 2009) there have been an addition in the number of plant species through various research papers and books (Yadav and Sardesai, 2002; Potdar et al. 2012; Gaikwad and Garad, 2015). It is not possible to gather all the research work as a lot has been published on oristic diversity of Maharashtra state. 2. Materials and Methods Palghar taluka extends between 180 42' and 200 20' North latitude and 700 45' and 73 0 45' East longitude covering an area of 1,023.03 sq.km. It is bounded by Dahanu taluka in the northern part, Jawhar taluka and Wada taluka in the East and Figure 1: Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr Southeast part, Vasai falls in its South and Western boundaries are contiguous with Arabian Sea (Tosh, 2012). Palghar taluka is characterized by medium black soil of pH 6.0- 7.5 slightly alkaline with maximum water holding capacity. It experiences rainfall ranging from 2000-3000mm with high humidity up to 90%. The total forest cover in the taluka is 325.357sq.km. It is rich in oral diversity (Poojari and Tosh, 2017a, 2017b; Poojari and Tosh, 2018). While investigating the Flora of Palghar taluka, authors collected three interesting species of plant which are identied and shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 as Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., Figure 3 and Figure 4 as Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC., and Figure 5 and Figure 6 as Spermacoce remota Lam. Tabl. (Bhatt, 1991, 2003; Narasimhan et al. 2011). All the three plant species are not previously recorded from Maharashtra state and therefore forms a new record and addition to the ora of Maharashtra (Sharma et al. 1996, 2000, 2001; Almeida, 1996, 1998, 2001a, Figure 2: Herbarium of Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., 2001b, 2003a, 2003b and 2009). The plants were processed as per Botanical Collector Manual (Santapau H, 1955) and Erect herb with densely hairy stem. Leaves compound nally herbarium were prepared and deposited in Sonopant pinnately 3 foliate, leaets obovate-oblanceolate with entire Dandekar Shikshan Mandal's M.H. Mehta Science College, margin. Stipule falcate. Flowers in terminal raceme. Calyx Department of Botany Herbarium, Palghar Taluka, Palghar campanulate, sepals acute. Corolla yellow with red streaks, Dist. petals unequal paplionaceous. Pods pubescent sub sessile. 28 X GJRA - GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS VOLUME - 10, ISSUE - 01, JANUARY - 2021 • PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8160 • DOI : 10.36106/gjra Flowering and Fruiting: July-October Locality: Kokaner Palghar taluka Palghar. Ecology: Among grasses. Specimen Examined: Poojari 186 Status: Not very common Locality: Gowade Palghar taluka Palghar. Note: Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC., was recorded so far from Ecology: Among grasses. the southern part of India in states like Karnataka and Kerala but during the survey it was also recorded from Palghar taluka Status: Not very common which clearly extends its distribution in Maharashtra state also. Note: Crotalaria goreensis Guill. & Perr., was recorded so far from the southern part of India in states like Karnataka and Family: Rubiaceae Kerala but during the survey it was also recorded from Palghar taluka which clearly extends its distribution in Maharashtra 3) Spermacoce remota Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 1: 273. 1791; state also. Narasimhan et al., in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 35 (4): 645-647. 2011; Spermacoce assurgens Raiz. And Pav., Fl. Peru 1: 60. t. 92. Family: Rubiaceae Juss. 1798; Bhatt in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 99: 566-567. 2002. (Figure 5 and 6) 2) Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC. Prodr. 4: 527. 1830; Bhatt in Fl. Udupi Dist. 284. 2003; Spermacoce hirta L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2: 148. 1762; Staurospermum verticellatum K. Schum. Beskr. Guin. Pl. 73. 1827; Mitracarpus scaber Zucc. in Schult. and Schult. Mant. 3: 210. 1827; Mitracarpus verticellatus (K. Schum) Vatke. Linnaea 40: 196. 1876; Nicolson and Saldanha in Fl. Hassan Dist. 581. 1978. (Figure 3 and 4) Figure 5: Spermacoce remota Lam. Figure 3: Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC Figure 6: Herbarium of Spermacoce remota Lam. Erect herb with purplish stem and slightly purplish margin leaves. Leaves subsessile, elliptic-lanceolate with entire margin and acute apex. Flowers in axillary and terminal cyme. Calyx slightly pubescent, sepals linear. Corolla funnel shaped white. Capsule pubescent. Figure 4: Herbarium of Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC Flowering and Fruiting: September-November Erect pubescent herb with quadrangular stem, slightly Specimen Examined: Poojari 396 purplish in colour. Leaves are opposite, sessile, elliptic-ovate with distinct nerves and acute apex. Stipules connate with the Locality: Sonopant Dandekar College campus and petiole showing distinct bristly apex. Flowers in axillary and Kharekuran Palghar. terminal condensed fascicles. Calyx hairy, sepals dissimilar and acute. Corolla white funnel shaped, petals obtuse. Fruit Ecology: Along lane and roadsides. circumcissile capsule. Status: Occasional Flowering and Fruiting: June-September Note: Spermacoce remota Lam. Tabl. was recorded so far Specimen Examined: Poojari 203 from the southern part of India in states like Karnataka and GJRA - GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS X 29 VOLUME - 10, ISSUE - 01, JANUARY - 2021 • PRINT ISSN No. 2277 - 8160 • DOI : 10.36106/gjra Kerala and from Nicobar island but during the survey it was also recorded from Palghar taluka which clearly extends its distribution in Maharashtra state also. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Authors are thankful to the Principal and Management of S.D Arts, V.S Apte Commerce and M.H. Mehta Science College for providing necessary facilities to carry out the entire research work. REFERENCES 1. Almeida M.R. (1996). “Flora of Maharashtra Ranunculaceae to Connaraceae, Vol. 1” Orient Press Publisher, Mumbai. 2. Almeida M.R. (1998). “Flora of Maharashtra Fabaceae to Apiaceae, Vol. 2” Orient Press Publisher, Mumbai. 3. Almeida M.R. (2001a). “Flora of Maharashtra Rubiaceae to Ehretiaceae, Vol. 3a” Orient Press Publisher, Mumbai. 4. Almeida M.R. 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